a16z Infrastructure Team to Visit South Korea, Seek Partnerships With AI Hardware Firms

Andreessen Horowitz, the global venture capital firm known as a16z, said on Oct. 12 that Managing Partner and General Partner Raghu Raghuram will visit South Korea with the firm's infrastructure investment team.

The trip follows the launch last month of a16z's $1.1 billion Machine Age Fund, which focuses on AI hardware and infrastructure technologies. The firm plans to deepen ties with South Korea's technology ecosystem and explore collaboration opportunities between local AI hardware and infrastructure companies and its portfolio companies.

At a16z, Raghuram oversees investments across AI infrastructure, from software to hardware, and leads global strategy for growth-stage portfolio companies. Before joining the firm, he spent about 20 years at cloud infrastructure company VMware, where he held senior roles including chief operating officer and chief executive officer.

At the end of 2025, a16z hired Park Sung-mo, head of go-to-market for Asia-Pacific, as its first employee in South Korea and has since pursued cooperation with the country's digital-asset ecosystem. More recently, it has broadened that engagement to South Korea's wider technology industry, including AI.

During the visit, the team plans to meet major South Korean companies and industry officials in AI hardware and infrastructure to discuss technology development and commercialization opportunities. It will also examine potential partnerships with a16z portfolio companies.

The talks will also cover ways to create new AI-based businesses and support the growth of South Korean companies.

a16z identified semiconductors and robotics as key areas for cooperation with South Korea. The firm sees significant opportunities in AI hardware and computing infrastructure, given the country's strengths in semiconductors, memory and advanced manufacturing. It also views robotics, where AI adoption is expanding, as another major area for collaboration.

The $1.1 billion Machine Age Fund that a16z launched last month is its first fund dedicated to AI hardware technologies. It invests not only in core hardware such as semiconductors, computing, memory and networking, but also in the underlying technologies needed to build AI infrastructure, including power, cooling and data centers.

"Advances in AI are rapidly reshaping not only software but the broader technology infrastructure stack," Raghuram said. "South Korea has world-class technology and a strong industrial base in key sectors including semiconductors and robotics. We hope this visit will lead to broad discussions with Korean companies and industry participants on new technology and business opportunities."